So there it is in hard numbers – why Rivers’ comfortableness in the pocket is so crucial.

How those numbers came about has to do with more than the 49 times Rivers was sacked and 73 times he was knocked down. It has to do with Rivers giving up on a guy, speeding through his progressions, his feet dancing through throws.

Clearly, the Chargers offense this year will feature shorter passes on quicker routes. But, still, on no less than half of the six passes Rivers made Thursday (five completions), he demonstrated a pocket presence reminiscent of that three-year period from 2008-10 in which he led the league in passer rating.

It is not just the offense of Norv Turner vs. Ken Whisenhunt, nor is it confined to a comparison of Michael Harris vs. Dunlap. Those are important, but Rivers takes ownership of his part in an 88.7 passer rating over the past two seasons (10th in the NFL among quarterbacks who played both years).

“It’s a new year, new thinking,” Rivers said. “You have to get back to that feeling of I’m putting my back foot in the ground and I’m going to step up. For one, it helps the tackles, and two, you can’t go down the road of thinking people are there when they’re not. When you have things go the way they did, sometimes you do that.”